Through Space and Time
by wingweever
Summary: Riku no longer lives in the world of humans, yet he can't help returning to a certain young man that he decided to guard. but what happens when he gets a certain blond haired friend involved who opens his eyes to love?can he stay away? AU OOC lemon


**Still Waiting**

The music blared in his ears…loud, fast, and hard. It fueled his actions, each stroke matching a beat, nothing off.

**WHAM!**

His fists pounded on the hard surface, every punch, every kick a master, never missing the very vitals of the dummy. No less than the best.

**WHAM!**

His feet and fists flew in a fury causing the dummy to sway back and forth, the heavy body rocking with his hard thrusts. Sweat dripped from his face, His white t-shirt was soaked through, and his black shorts clung to his body as if it was his second skin. His body grew more tired as he continued, hours of rigorous training, the windows of the nearly empty warehouse only beginning to glow with the light of dawn. When he felt the first ray of dawn his body moved with more force, and he became more restless, he moved with more desperation.

With one more slam against the training dummy, his body fell forward, leaning heavily on the soft linen skin of the figure, his face resting on its shoulder, as he tried to gasp for the air he had neglected himself. He pulled his resting fist back once more, and let it fly forward; causing him to become unbalanced and he fell, his butt crashing on the hard cement floor. He drew himself up again stoically, blood already drying on his torn knuckles, his skin beginning to bear red welts under the weights he bore.

He reached into his pocket and turned off his music, and the silence that now surrounded him seemed deafening. His body hung, his legs barely supported him and constantly shook. His fists hung limp at his side, unable to move, his mind on nothing more than the ebbing pain as blood flowed through the re-opened wounds.

His body finally gave way, and fell heavily backwards, his shoulders slamming on the floor and his head rest on the hard concrete.

"You over did it really…ya know?"

"Yeah, yeah." He said, his voice coming in ragged gasps.

He heard the laugh that echoed through the room, quiet yet true.

"Look Leon, if you think its so easy, why don't you come do it?"

He sat up to stare at his raven-haired friend, who raised his hand defensively, the smile dropping from his face, though his amusement was still obvious.

"Hey, I never said it was easy, I just said maybe you should relax a little."

"Relax? Why? That would be a waste of my time and I would grow lax and complacent."

"Oh? Would you now? I suppose I wouldn't very much like to see you lazing in a hammock anyway…probably would scare everyone." Leon let out a soft chuckle.

Riku looked down at his bloodied hands, wiped them on his pants and stood up.

"Yeah well..."

"You'll kill yourself…If you keep on going on like this. You haven't been eating right lately. I mean, the past years you have barely touched food, and all you do is train. Well, look it isn't any of my business, just take care of yourself." Leon glanced at a clock hanging lucidly on the wall and gave Riku a pat on the shoulder as he pointed to it.

Riku groaned and waved him off. He walked to a small cot that seemed nestled in the corner near the front of the old warehouse, and began to ruffle through the beaten dresser that sat next to it. He quickly changed into something less wet, replaced his bloodied bandages, and walked out of the empty storehouse. The pink sunlight of sunrise reflected off his silver hair, sending soft stands glowing in the wind.

He grabbed his black nap sack from entrance to the large building, and threw his black jacket and gloves on. He turned and nodded to Leon, then slung his pack over his shoulder and walked off toward town.

Leon shook his head and laughed as he walked back into the darker parts of the building, places where the sun could not reach.

Riku plopped into his large, cushioned seat and sighed. His chair was taller than the average, and almost looked like a broken egg shell sitting on a tall post, the inside of the curved metal was cushioned with was looked like dragon scales and fur. He leaned his head back against the softness of the chair and closed his eyes. He still had about a half an hour before class started.

Yes, he realizes that this was one of the farthest places from where he should be in your mind, you'd expect him on a battlefield, not in a classroom. This school was different. This wasn't any normal HUMAN school after all. This was Aikasse, the best school for immortals across this world and the next, filled with demons, sorcerers, and angels....very much like himself. Not the most normal site to see.

Riku was no student though. Oh no, it couldn't be that easy. He had graduated from this school eons ago. He, unfortunately, was a teacher of the defense against mystical creatures.

**RRRRRIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_Great, the bell. Now to deal with my pets, they'd better watch out, the snake is so going to bite today._

Student after student filed into the small classroom and lined up next to the glass doors on the opposite wall, which separated them from the courtyard, a place teaming with the most foul and brutal of all creatures that could ever be fought. Riku stood, his body audibly moaning from misuse, and walked in front of them. He crossed his arms over his black muscle tank top and shifted his weight to his left foot, his black phat pants shifting slightly, and gave his best 'I hate you all' look. Every one of these delinquents finally was in and the door had closed, yet no one decided it was time to be quiet.

"Hey" He said, his voice as normal as he could make it, attempting to remove the contempt.

No one listened, and the room seemed to grow louder to Riku, agitation was setting in.

"Hey" he said a little louder.

Still nothing, and he would not repeat himself again. He launched forward and slammed his fist on a glass door which shattered instantly, the noise resounding through the courtyard. Quickly alarms began to sound in the room, and the animals in the yard began to take notice. The room went silent as death.

Suddenly as screech filled the room, a large black bird swooped in, its talons sharp and beak deadly. Riku responded quickly and grabbed it by the throat with his left hand, and grabbed its feet with his other hand. Quickly he kicked a button on the wall next to the broken door, which shut off the alarms and caused a metal wall to go in front of the glass doors.

"Anyone still feeling chatty?"

The room was silent as a grave, for it may as well have been theirs.

"Good. When you come into my room I have a few rules. Silence is the first. If you come in with as much as a peep, I'll feed you to the moogles."

"Moogles?" Someone snickered.

Riku snapped, and turned into the direction of the voice. He shoved the bird in the kids face, and he saw the fear in his eyes.

"Yeah, I said moogles. Got a problem with that?"

"N...No."

"No what?"

"No sir!"

"I thought so," Riku stood, "Anyone else?"

Everyone shook their head.

"The second rule is no food or anything edible beside yourselves in here. You'll attract the animals…and you don't want that." He said with a wicked grin.

He heard a few small whimpers and things being thrown away.

"And the third rule is to listen to every word I say, miss something and it may be the last time you ever walk through these doors, or out of them. I don't give written assignments. So when I tell you to study, you do it, or it could be your life. This is no game…This is the real world." He tossed the now dead bird on his desk.

"Is everyone ready to begin?"

He let his black wings unfold slowly, As they found the small holes in his shirt, and expanded to twice his own length. They were well muscled and a deep charcoal color, yet if you looked close enough, at the very base of his wings you would see them lined with piercings and jewels. He gave a wicked smile and his teeth seemed more sharp now, his eyes more bloodthirsty.

"Welcome to the first day of hell."

Riku sighed, sitting in his room, curled up in his chair. The class was empty, school was over, and not a sound flitted through the halls. He did not hear his door silently open and close, or the footsteps that walked up to him.

"God I hate kids."

He heard a laugh. He turned and glared.

"Namine."

"Don't be so sour Riku, they can't be that bad."

"What do you know? You don't have to keep an eye on them and creatures that want to eat them as soon as they see'em."

"No, but I do have to keep them out of my deadly plants, which just so happened to almost take a nice hunk out of the principal the other day."

"Stupid herbologist."

"Oh? Well you're just a dumb defense teacher."

And Riku straightened up slightly, and stuck out his tongue at her, and all Namine could do was grin. They both began to laugh uncontrollably. After their fits of laughter ceased, Riku looked up at her from his chair.

"Namine, You wouldn't be able to answer something for me would you?"

"Depends…"

"Do you have any more of that potion left? Or have you made anymore?"

Namine cocked her head, her eyes quizzical.

"What potion?"

"You know," Riku whispered and leaned closer to her, who had by now to stand close to his chair, "THE potion."

"OH," Nomine nodded, realization setting in, "Yeah, made you some fresh last night. You really should stop hiding this. You can tell people, they'd understand."

"No they wouldn't. I go against all codes of ethic and laws of this world to do what I do. It isn't worth the consequences to let anyone but you know."

Nomine placed her hand on his shoulder.

"I understand."

Riku smiled. Yeah, she did.

"But I'll only give it to you on one condition."

"What?"

"You let me come with you this time."

"What?" Riku jumped up.

"I said I wanted to come."

"You know how dangerous that is! I mean, one person can sneak by with no one noticing, but two? I don't think so!"

"I go all the time, but this time I want to see the reason you go."

"Absolutely not, I go alone."

"Then I guess you're not going at all."

Riku Groaned and placed a hand on his hip as the other massaged his temple.

"Fine, whatever."

"What should I wear? Will we be meeting someone? Should I be casual or formal?"

"Just, wear whatever, we won't be seeing anyone." Riku waved her off as well and walked toward the door. But he turned as he reached the handle.

"The old warehouse, at the Time-Between-Times."

Namine eyes widened slightly, but she closed them quickly and nodded.

_I don't know why I am doing this anymore. How long has it been now? Years…to many. 4? 5? Something like that. He is grown older now. I watched him since he was born, something about his heart drew me to him. It was so pure. I want it all for myself. He…has grown up so much, and I think I want him more now than I did ever before. I don't know how much longer I can do this. He will never love me…He will never even see me! I think…maybe…this will be the last night._

Riku sighed, sitting in the warehouse, the dull grey of the morning not yet beginning to peak into the darkness of night. It was almost time. In a few minutes it would be the time-between-times and the veil between his world and the human world would be paper thin.

He looked at the human watch on his wrist. Almost three in the morning and Namine still wasn't here. If she was late, he would have to wait until tomorrow, but he needed to go today. It was important to his human friend today, that he get his wish.

Suddenly a loud whoosh of air filled the room as the large metal doors opened.

"Riku?"

"I'm here Namine"

"Why are the lights off?"

"You need to see with your mage sight. Any artificial light will ruin the spell."

She nodded and let her eyes glow lightly.

"Where is the reagent?"

"Here," she handed him a small bottle, "This should do the trick."

Riku nodded, grabbed it and gave it a look over.

"Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you go?"

Riku stopped and looked up at her.

"You've gone for as long as I have known you. But you never told me why."

"Why do you go?"

Namine's eyes widened, and then she laughed in the most gentle way.

"I guess you have me there. There is someone there I need to see."

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Namine nodded.

"My brother."

"You're…"

"Yeah, I'm from the mortal world. Just happened to be a little…well…different."

She looked down, and her smile grew bitter. Riku nodded, he had a feeling she wasn't like everyone else.

"Well…we'd better get going."

"What time is it there?"

"The time is…"

Riku stopped. The time was different. He never really weighed it all out, but this is the only time that is the same, that is why they can cross.

"Same time. But their time passes faster than ours. We will have about 3 of our hours to go and then we will be dragged back when the potion starts wearing off."

"About how long is that Riku?"

"About 3 days."

"You never told me why you are going."

Riku sighed. He owed her this much.

"I'm taken it upon myself to become a guardian."

Nomine gasped quietly, and her hands shot up to cover her mouth comically.

"You mean you actually have a heart?"

He only gave her a quick glare, then uncapped the bottle and poured it on the ground, chanting as he did so. The potion glowed and warped, and where it has spilled became a hole in time and space. Quickly he jumped down, followed by Namine.

His floated through blackness and mist, his feet slowly coming to a firm ground, covered in grass. A park appeared before his eyes, the leaves of every tree were the color of fire, and a few had fallen across the still green grass. Riku quickly jumped back behind the large tree that stood to his left, and as soon as Namine formed, he pulled her as well.

"What are you doing Riku, is this like a stakeout or something?"

Riku looked at her apprehensively and sighed.

"Yeah…something like that."

"So who are we coming to see?"

He gave her a slightly crooked look, but before he could even say anything, he took in what she was wearing. No, it wasn't her normal white dress and lab coat…She wore a small white tank top with white gloves that reached her upper arm, a pair of blue jeans, faded in the middle, and large white Barrett hat with silver chains dangling from it. Namine looked up at him and shrugged.

"What, you said it didn't matter. I figured if we are going to see someone, it should be nice."

"I told you we weren't meeting anyone."

"You said that we wouldn't we be seeing anyone."

"Well, yes, that usually involves us not meeting them."

"I figured you lied about us not seeing someone, since you are a guardian and that is the reason you came, so we might meet this human of yours."

"No, we don't interact."

"Why?"

"Just….just because."

Riku tried to hide the slightly pained look on his face. Quickly he shook his head.

"Look, in the Human world, us being where we are at this time is not a good idea. We need to make it to town and find a place to sleep."

Namine looked around.

"Yeah where are we anyway?"

"Just a small town, I really don't want to get into details. Right now we have to go without being seen."

"Can't you just cast some sort of invisibility spell or something?"

Again, a great sigh emanated from Riku.

"No…for two reasons; the first being that in this world, magick takes a great toll on my body, the second being that I gave up on using a lot of magick to obtain greater strength and other physical abilities. I don't actually know any invisibility spells."

Namine couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"good thing I am here then."

Riku cocked and eyebrow at her.

"Why is that?"

She reached into the linen sack on her side, and pulled out a jar filled with leaves. She uncapped it, and handed one to Riku, and pulled another out for herself.

"Eat it and we will camouflage with nature. Only works for about a half an hour though, and it takes about ten minutes to set in."

Riku nodded and shoved in into his mouth, as Namine did the same. All of a sudden he contorted his face and forcefully swallowed.

"That tastes terrible."

"I know."

"You could have warned me."

"Then you wouldn't have eaten it."

He groaned and looked around. _Coast is clear._ He let himself plop down into the grass.

"How will I know when this is going to work?"

"You will start feeling pricks on your skin, and your clothes will feel too tight."

He shook his head. _Those are the weirdest side effects ever._ He leaned back against the tree, crossed his arms, and let his eyes droop close. He felt Namine settle herself settle next to him.

"Why won't we go see him? I know of tons of people taking on a guardian position where they have a close relationship with their wards."

"I don't want him to see me. That's that."

Namine shrugged, and let her head go back against the tree as well.

"You know, we could probably start moving and be ok."

"No…not yet."

"Why?"

Her question was answered by leaves rustling as footsteps approached them. She quickly moved to run, but Riku held her still. He looked around the tree to see a dark figure moving toward the park bench that was on the other side of a cement walkway passing their tree.

"We should move."

"No…he won't come over here…he never does."

It was Namine's turn to look confused. She leaned over Riku, her hands resting on his thighs, and peeked around the tree. Her eyes slowly began to glow, and she saw a young teen. His feet were resting on the bench, his hands tugged around them. He wore a somewhat dark hooded shirt, and a pair of light blue jeans. His hair was the color of earth, and she could see his blue eyes darting back and forth. She sat back and Riku banged is head against a tree as she crumpled a leaf. He turned to see the boy smiling, his head resting on this knees.

"I know you're here."

He said melodically. Namine's eyes grew wide, and she turned to Riku to whisper.

"I thought he wouldn't know we were here?"

"No I said he wouldn't come over here…"

"Who is this kid?"

Riku let a hand come to message his forehead.

"My ward."

Namine couldn't help but snicker.

"I thought he wouldn't see us?"

"He won't. I never said he didn't know of my existence. I sent him a message the day before I am coming, and he awaits me here. He knows I will never show myself, which distresses him a bit, but I prove I am here."

"Why go through all this trouble."

"Because he can't see me."

Suddenly Riku's body began to twinge, his skin twitching and sore. He felt as though he couldn't breathe, but he felt Namine's hand on his shoulder, and he knew that it was about time.

"How do I know it works?" he said after the major pain stopped.

"Well, go over and see if he can see you."

He gave her a trademark glare and she laughed.

"Look, I will give you guys some time alone, I am going to go look for a hotel."

Quickly Namine stood up and ran past the boy on the bench, you didn't seem to even look in her direction. Riku stood and stepped out from behind the tree, his foot snapping a twig. The boy snapped his head in Riku's direction, but turned his head back, seemingly seeing nothing. Riku walked closer to him. _I know h can't see me…I haven't been this close in…so long._ He walked in front and bent his head. He knew if he talked, that he would be heard, but he just wanted to say his name, for it had grown to be his favorite word.

"Sora." He whispered.

Sora looked around, his feet moving to rest on the ground. Riku let his hand reach up slowly to brush away a stray hand of hair. Sora jumped at the touch, and he knew that he felt him, but being so close it was so hard to resist.

Suddenly Sora's eyes began brimming with unshed tears.

"Why can't I see you? I know your hear."

_What have I done…_Riku mentally kicked himself and pulled his hands back. He stood and rested his hands one bench around Sora, and leaned her lips close to his ear.

"Don't cry. I'm here."

Sora closed his eyes and nodded.

"I know…But why…why won't you ever let me see you?"

He sniffled back a few tears. He grew up a little, but he was still so innocent.

"I miss you so much Riku."

"I know…that's why I am here."

Riku pulled himself back from Sora and let himself plop into the bench next to him. His hand drifted over Sora's leg, _just once, he needs me right now._ Slowly, he let it rest on his thigh and he saw the tears fall from Sora in waves.

"Please don't cry for me. I'm ok."

"Please let me see you, just once."

"I can't let you see me like this."

Suddenly Sora felt wrapped in warmth, and he let his head rest on air, his tears began to slow, and he let himself stay content.

"Shh, no more tears now."

Riku slipped his arms from around him and stood up.

He heard footsteps running toward them. He turned to see Namine running up the walkway to them. Quickly she grabbed his hand and ran off, and Sora only watched in the direction of the fleeting footsteps.

"I got a hotel."

"How, your invisible."

"Well, I borrowed a computer and booked one online. The spell will wear off by the time we get there."

"Alright."

"You have money for this world right?"

"Yeah, don't worry about that."

The night faded to morning quickly, and Riku found himself laying on a warm bad, Namine respectively laying on her own.

"Riku, why can't he see you?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Please?" she asked him, her eyes simply begging. He groaned.

"Fine, I will tell you the story."


End file.
